Puerto Rico Islanders

Puerto Rico is a rising star within the Caribbean. One of the notable examples was the match between the island and Spain last summer at Bayamon, Puerto Rico.

The second example that is worth mentioning is the Puerto Rico Islanders located in the same city. The 2013 season will be the 10th for the club.

According to the Puerto Rico Islanders website, Ramon Luis Rivera (who was mayor of Bayamon) collaborated with other professionals. The purpose was to create an environment for the growth of world football in Puerto Rico.

The club initially was associated with the United Soccer League (USL) (former A-League). The first coach was Vitor Hugo Barros from Brazil.

He was eventually replaced as coach by Hugo Maradona, who is Diego Maradona's brother. While the Islanders initially did not make the playoffs, Daniel Kennedy was the first Islander to be named Rookie of the Year by the USL.

The Islanders eventually made the USL playoffs under another coach, Jorge Alvial. Alvial eventually resigned and was replaced by Toribio Rojas.

Rojas managed to take the Islanders to the Caribbean Football Union Club Championship. The intention (although without success) was to participate in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The Islanders eventually participated in matches between teams associated with the USL and MLS. They also secured a spot in the CONCACAF Champions League.

At the same time, Jay Needham was another Islander named USL Rookie of the Year in 2007. The success story of the Islanders continued with the team awarded the USL Organization of the Year in 2008.

In the 2010, the Islanders won three championships: the CONCACAF Champions League, CFU Club Championship and United States Soccer Federation-D2 (USSF-D2). They became members of the North American Soccer League (NASL) in the 2011.

According to the Puerto Rico Islanders webpage, the team enjoyed third place during the 2012 NASL season with 41 points. The team won 11, tied eight and lost nine matches with a goal differential of plus-two.

The Islanders were behind the San Antonio Scorpions and Tampa Bay Rowdies. However, the team announced that they will be undergoing a reorganization during 2013.

During the reorganization, the Islanders will not play during the 2013 spring season. They will play in the remaining season, though.

Regardless of what will transpire, the Puerto Rican Islanders—and football in general—have a future in Puerto Rico.

Roberto Alvarez-Galloso reporting for Bleacher Report from Puerto Rico.

A week after they annihilated FC Edmonton 5-0, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers were able to accomplish a feat which no other NASL club had been able to do and that's win in Puerto Rico.

Demonstrating that last week's goal-scoring surge was no fluke, the Strikers trounced the Puerto Rico Islanders 3-1 in the first leg of the NASL semifinals at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium in Bayamon, PR. With momentum on their side, the Strikers have won their last two playoff matches by a combined score of 8-1. 

After a scoreless first half, the Strikers jumped to a 2-0 lead thanks to Martin Nunez and Walter Restrepo. In the 49th minute, Nunez immediately demonstrated his value as a halftime substitution for team captain Abe Thompson when he accepted a cross from Lance Laing to make it 1-0 for the Strikers.

The Strikers scored again when Restrepo blasted the ball from 18 yards out and past the outstretched hands of Islanders goalkeeper Ray Burse for a 2-0 lead.

With the Islanders in danger of losing their first home match of the year, they were able to reduce the deficit to one goal when Jonathan Fana accepted a pass from Gregory Richardson to make the score 2-1. 

In stoppage time, the Islanders turned over the ball and paid for it dearly when Strikers' Brian Shriver scored the third goal of the match to give his teammates a 3-1 semifinal victory. 

With the opportunity to make to the NASL final round, the Strikers return home to play the second leg of the semifinals on Saturday, Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Lockhart Stadium.

For the Islanders, Saturday's home loss could not have come at worse time. With the Strikers averaging four goals a contest in the playoffs, the Islanders are going to face the daunting task of shutting out Fort Lauderdale while trying to produce some goals themselves. 

Saturday Night's Other NASL First Leg Semifinal Match

In the other NASL semifinal match, NSC Minnesota Stars won 1-0 at home over the NASL regular season champions Carolina RailHawks. Both teams return to the WakeMed Soccer Park on Saturday, October 15 at 7 p.m. for the second leg of the aggregate series.

The team with the most goals scored will advance to the NASL championship round where they will face the winner of the Islanders-Strikers semifinal series. 

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at  @CoveringSoccer.

With the NASL Playoffs in full swing, the reigning Division-2 champions Puerto Rico Islanders (15-6-7) and NASL Regular Season Champions Carolina RailHawks (17-8-3) awaited to see whom they will face in the Semifinal Round. By having the best record in the NASL regular season, both teams had earned a first round bye.

On Saturday night, two Quarterfinals matches took place in Florida. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers took on FC Edmonton at the Lockhart Stadium while NSC Minnesota Stars faced FC Tampa Bay at the Al Lang Stadium. Winners of both contests advanced while the loser's season abruptly came to an end. 

With FC Tampa Bay losing 1-0 to the NSC Minnesota Stars and the Fort Lauderdale Strikers annihilating FC Edmonton 5-0, the NASL Semifinal Rounds are set. 

As stated in NASL.com:

For the Semifinal Round, the number 1 seed will be paired with the lowest seeded team to qualify from the Quarterfinal Round with the number 2 seed being paired with the highest seeded team to qualify from the Quarterfinal Round.

The winners of each series in the Semifinal Round will meet in the Final Round. In the event of a draw in either Quarterfinal Round game, such game will progress to a 30-minute extra time period (the golden goal rule will not be in effect). If the teams are still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner will be determined by a penalty shootout.

In each Semifinal Round series and the Final Round series, if the teams are tied on the number of aggregate goals scored in the series at the conclusion of the second game, the teams will progress to a 30-minute extra time period. As in the Quarterfinal Round, the golden goal rule will not be in effect. If the teams are still locked in a draw following the extra time period, the winner of the series will be determined by a penalty shootout.

With Saturday's matches decided, the Puerto Rico Islanders will now face the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The first match will take in Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium or La Islandera to their Supporters, the Orange Troop on Oct 8. The second leg will take place on Oct. 15 at the Lockhart Stadium. 

While Abe Thompson hat trick and a Brian Shriver brace put the Fort Lauderdale Strikers through to the NASL semi-finals with a 5-0 victory over FC Edmonton, the Strikers are going to have a difficult time winning in La Islandera where the Islanders went undefeated this postseason. 

In four regular season contests, both teams recorded a win, loss and two ties. The only difference in their series of contests was that the Islanders outscored the Strikers 8-7. While no team was able to defeat the Islanders at home, it should be noted that the Islanders was not able to win at Fort Lauderdale where they loss 3-2 and tied 1-1 this season. 

With the regular season a thing of the past, will the Islanders be able to contain a Strikers team who made an empathic statement as they produced five goals in the in the opening round? Will the Strikers be able to do one thing that no NASL team did this season and win in Puerto Rico?

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press  & USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

In another demonstration of their commitment to their Puerto Rican community, the Puerto Rico Islanders dedicated Wednesday night's match with FC Tampa Bay to women affected by breast cancer.

The money earned from ticket sales will be donated to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation as a demonstration that the Islanders support its mission to raise awareness about breast cancer in the Puerto Rican population.

With a first-round bye already assured, the Puerto Rico Islanders (15-6-7, 52 points) become the only team in the North American Soccer League (NASL) to go undefeated at home following their 1-0 victory over FC Tampa Bay (10-9-8, 38 points) at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium.

Despite already clinching a first-round bye, the second-best team in the NASL started the match aggressively. The combination of forward Yaikel Perez and midfielder Kevon Villaroel immediately made it an issue to attack FC Tampa Bay GK Jeff Attinella.

After several minutes of advancing the ball, the duo of Perez and Villaroel gave the Islanders a 1-0 lead in the fifth minute. Taking advantage of a counterattack, Villaroel passed the ball to Perez, who moments later scored his first goal of the season.

Following the lead, the Islanders' defense and excellent goalkeeping skills of Ray Burse prevented Tampa from tying the match. Along with their defense, the Islanders continued to advance the ball in an effort to produce another goal.

Regardless of their inability to produce another goal, the Islanders was able to hold on for the 1-0 victory. With the season officially over, the Orange Troop will play their first home playoff match on Oct. 8 in the NASL semifinals.

While the Islanders weren't successful in winning the NASL regular season championship, they still have a chance to win the postseason and repeat as Division-2 champions.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press and USSoccerPlayers.com, your source for American soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. national team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

Bayamon, PR - In a possible NASL Championship match preview, the Puerto Rico Islanders (14-7-6, 49 points) handed the NASL Regular Season Champions the Carolina RailHawks (17-7-3, 54 points) their third straight defeat on Saturday night.

Meeting for the final time this season, both playoff bound teams battled each other to a standstill with a flurry of defensive stops and solid goalkeeping. The Islanders were finally able to penetrate the RailHawks defense when Petter Villegas scored the game winner in the 57th minute of the match.

Saturday night's victory marked the third time that the Islanders have defeated the RailHawks. In four head to head matches, the Islanders have outscored the RailHawks 5-4. While the Islanders have three of four victories against Carolina, the RailHawks still maintain the best record in the NASL.

Following their victory over the RailHawks, the Islanders remain undefeated at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium. With one more game remaining, the Islanders will have the opportunity to finish the regular season undefeated at home when they host FC Tampa Bay on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011.

The Islanders victory was the icing on the cake as the organization dedicated Saturday night as an evening to demonstrate their commitment to the Puerto Rican Community by honoring the past and raising awareness for the present.

Prior to the match, the Islanders honored an individual who may possibly the Father of Puerto Rican Soccer, Juan "Saso" Tulier. It was 60 years ago when Saso played and later coached the Puerto Rican national team for 28 years.

Now his late 70s, Saso continues to coach young men as he tries to help some of them get to college on soccer scholarships. Still in remarkable shape, Saso not only trains his young players, he also physically trains with them. While many may not know of the iconic manager, he is one unknown hero who will leave a legacy of Puerto Rican soccer.

“As believers in community outreach and social responsibility its truly an honor to have Saso Tullie kick the kick of honor to start the match. Tullio was responsible for expanding the game of soccer across the island especially in Humacao, Manabo and Naguabo. The greatness of this soccer ambassador was exalted in the Sports Hall of Fame in Puerto Rico,” said Jorge Pierluisi, vice president of the Islanders.

In addition to honoring Saso, the Islanders also welcomed the nonprofit foundation for children with autism Golitos as they were officially inaugurated on Saturday night. Golitos is intended to contribute to the full physical, social and emotional development of children with Autism provided by football sports therapy through structured training sessions.

With one more game remaining in the NASL regular season, the Islanders are in position to give their supporters, the Orange Troop will have the opportunity to win their first NASL Championship and second consecutive Division-2 Championship.

Other NASL results from Saturday Night

FC Tampa Bay (10-8-8, 38 points) battled the NSC Minnesota Stars (8-10-9, 36 points) to a 1-1 draw.

Montreal Impact (8-11-8, 32 points) won 2-0 over FC Edmonton (10-12-6, 36 points).

Fort Lauderdale Strikers (9-7-11, 38 points) tied the Atlanta Silverbacks (4-19-3, 16 points) 1-1.

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com ; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

In another fantastic way to demonstrate their commitment to the Puerto Rican community, the NASL playoff-bound Puerto Rico Islanders have announced they will dedicate their final two home games to children born with autism and breast cancer survivors.

On Sept. 21, the Islanders will face FC Tampa Bay. The money earned from ticket sales that evening will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation as a demonstration that the Islanders support its mission to raise awareness about breast cancer to the Puerto Rican population.

Prior to their Sept. 21st match, the Puerto Rico Islanders will honor the children who are born with autism when they face the best team in the NASL, the Carolina RailHawks, on Saturday, Sept. 17. That is the same day that the nonprofit foundation for children with autism Golitos is officially inaugurated.

"Golitos is intended to contribute to the full physical, social and emotional development of children with Autism provided by football sports therapy through structured training sessions. The programs have been developed by a wide network of professionals with expertise in Autism and, of course, soccer savvy," said foundation founder Omar Alvarez, who is father to six-year-old twins Darius and Lawrence, both born with Autism.

The foundation is responsible for educating these children through the structure and discipline that the sport requires. Along with the curriculum, Islanders players will continually visit the practice field where these children as part of this project where they will play a role in making sure the model is implemented as accordingly.

In addition to honoring children born with autism, they're also going to honor an individual who may possibly the father of Puerto Rican soccer, Juan "Saso" Tulier. Personally, finding out that Saso is going to be honored has brought a smile to my face.

The fact that I've known about his contributions and role in promoting soccer in Puerto Rico before today makes this news even more gratifying. To learn more about Saso, please read my article "Puerto Rico Begins Its Quest for the FIFA 2014 World Cup."

It's good to see that Puerto Rico's soccer boom has also become a platform to raise awareness of a variety of causes that needs our support in the beautiful island. For the time being, there isn't a better soccer club that can raise awareness in Puerto Rico than the Islanders.

Cesar Diaz covers soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com, your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. national team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

Saturday's North American Soccer League (NASL) match between the Puerto Rico Islanders and FC Tampa Bay scheduled at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium has been postponed due to the anticipated torrential rains surrounding Tropical Storm Maria.

The match has been rescheduled for Wednesday, September 21 at 7:30 p.m.

Saturday's cancelled match would have been the fourth and final time both teams would have met throughout the regular season. In the previous head-to-head encounters, both teams have earned an identical record of 1-1-1. The only advantage the Islanders have over Tampa Bay is a 4-3 goals scored advantage.

Currently in third place and playoff bound, FC Tampa Bay is at risk of moving down a spot in the standings. Should playoff-bound FC Edmonton win on Saturday against the Atlanta Silverbacks, Tampa Bay would be demoted to fourth place where they would potentially be tied with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers who are a win away from clinching a playoff spot.

For the Orange Troop, Saturday's cancelled match could not have come at a better time. Recently nine of their players represented their countries during the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifiers.

As a result, the Islanders starting lineup was heavily depleted in their last two matches where they lost 2-0 to the Atlanta Silverbacks and battled the Montreal Impact to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday evening.

Despite their recent setbacks, the Islanders managed to clinch the second best record in the NASL and a first-round bye in the playoffs. The Islanders' next home match will take place on Saturday, September 17th at 7:30 p.m. against the NASL Regular Season Champions Carolina RailHawks. 

NASL Standings

1. North Carolina RailHawks (17-5-3; 54pts)

2. Puerto Rico Islanders (13-6-7; 46pts)

3. FC Tampa Bay (10-8-7; 37pts)

4. FC Edmonton (10-10-6; 36pts)

5. Fort Lauderdale Strikers (8-7-10; 34pts)

6. NSC Minnesota Stars (7-10-8; 29pts).

7. Montreal Impact (6-11-8; 26pts)

8. Atlanta Silverbacks (4-18-3; 15pts)

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com ; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and on Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

On Wednesday night, the Puerto Rico Islanders were a few minutes away from suffering their first home loss of the season before Islanders forward Jonathan Fana successfully converted his penalty kick in the 90th minute to tie MLS-bound Montreal Impact 1-1.

Fana's game-tying goal was his 11th goal of the season. He is the Islanders' leading goal-scorer. In addition, in the North American Soccer League, Fana is currently tied for second place in goal production with FC Tampa Bay Mike Ambersley and Carolina RailHawks Pablo Campos.

Playing in front of their crowd at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium, or La Islandera, the Islanders had to overcome a number of obstacles. Trying to rebound from Saturday night's 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Silverbacks, the Orange Troop entered Wednesday's match with a majority of their starters recovering from their CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers participation.

Without the usual starting lineup, the team had to rely on the goalkeeping skills of Ray Burse and the defense from the rest of the squad. To add to their dilemma, the Islanders were facing a hungry Impact team trying to win the sixth and final playoff spot. With Impact GK Evan Bush named NASL Defensive Player of the Week, Impact arrived to Puerto Rico with the intent of earning three points while putting an end to the Islanders' undefeated home record.

In the 30th minute of the match, the odds of Montreal winning on Wednesday night was heightened when Islanders defender Logan Emory was ejected for tackling Impact forward Miguel Montaño.

For the remainder of the match, the under-manned Islanders played well enough to escape with a tie and clinch a first-round bye. However, in the 88th minute of the match, Ryan Pore had given the Impact a 1-0 lead. Accepting a well-timed pass from forward Mignane Diouf, who seconds earlier forced Burse be in a bad position, Pore successfully found the back of the net as he scored his second goal of the season.

Less than two minutes later, Islanders striker Jonathan Faña, back from international duties with the Dominican Republic national team, was fouled as he was advancing the ball in the penalty. Seconds later, he successfully beat the NASL Defensive Player of the Week to level the match at one all.

With Wednesday's tie, the Islanders (13-6-7, 46 points) have clinched the second-best record in the regular season. For their achievement, the Islanders also have a first-round bye.

While a win would have been beneficial for the Impact (5-6-11, 26 points) in their quest of reaching the playoffs, they only trail NSC Minnesota Stars (7-8-10, 29 points) by three points.

Up next for the Islanders is FC Tampa Bay (10-8-7, 37 points), which has already clinched a playoff spot and are trying to remain in third place with the NASL season winding down. Following FC Tampa Bay, the Islanders conclude their regular season against the NASL regular season champions, the Carolina RailHawks.

Now that the top two spots belong to the Carolina RailHawks and the Orange Troop, the only thing left for both teams is to win the playoffs. Even though the RailHawks have been playing extremely well, the Islanders have been able to play some solid defense for their last few matches, considering nine of their players were away playing for their countries for the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers.

Once the regular season is over, Orange Troop supporters will expect to see the Islanders successfully defend their Division-2 championship against everyone—especially the Carolina RailHawks, in the case they meet in the championship match for the second consecutive year.

Other NASL results from Wednesday Night

Fourth-place FC Edmonton (10-10-6, 36 points) secured a playoff spot with a dramatic 2-1 victory over eighth-place Atlanta Silverbacks (4-18-3, 15 points).

Fifth-place Fort Lauderdale Strikers (8-7-10, 34 points) won 1-0 over first place Carolina RailHawks (17-5-3, 54 points). Wednesday's night win has positioned the Strikers from being a point away from clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2006.

Despite the loss, the RailHawks clinched the NASL regular season championship. The RailHawks automatically have a first-round bye. With head coach Martin Rennie set to coach the Vancouver Whitecaps for the 2012 MLS season, the RailHawks are definitely in position and motivated to win the playoffs.

Cesar Diaz covers soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press and USSoccerPlayers.com, your source for American soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. national team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.

With nine players representing their national teams during the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying matches, the short-handed Puerto Rico Islanders had their six game unbeaten streak snapped as they fell to the Atlanta Silverbacks 2-0 on Saturday night.

Playing their third match in eight days, the second-place Islanders (13-6-6) faced last-place Atlanta (4-17-3) on the road at Atlanta Silverbacks Park without their leading goal scorer Jonathan Faña who was away representing the Dominican Republic. Also away on national duty was forward Gregory Richardson, who was representing the Guyana national team.

Cementing the Orange Troop's reputation as Puerto Rico's best soccer team, seven players were called for the Puerto Rico national team. They were defenders Marco Vélez, Alexis Rivera, Scott Jones and Richard Martínez and midfielders Petter Villegas, Tyler Wilson and Noah Delgado.

This was the fourth and final meeting between both teams. Prior to Saturday night's match, the Islanders had won the first three matches by a combined score of 9-4.

The difference between the previous three encounters was the performances of Silverbacks forward Matt Horth and Islanders goalkeeper Ray Burse. With the Silverbacks officially eliminated from the playoffs, they have the opportunity to finish their seasons as playoff spoilers.

Matt Horth was able to burn Ray Burse twice in the first half as he scored in the 28th and 30th minute to give the Silverbacks a 2-0 at halftime. No matter how hard the Islanders attempted to produce a goal, the depleted Orange Troop was no match for Atlanta on Saturday night.

With their six-game unbeaten streak coming to an end, the Islanders now trail the Carolina RailHawks for the best record by nine points. Following Saturday's loss, the Islanders return home where they will face the Montreal Impact at the Juan Ramon Loubriel Stadium where they remain unbeaten.

With three games remaining in the regular season, the Islanders have to win their remaining matches while hoping that Carolina goes on a losing streak. However, with the way the RailHawks have been playing as of late, it is unlikely.

After losing to the Orange Troop in Puerto Rico, the RailHawks have gone on a four-game unbeaten streak as they've gone 3-0-1. Both teams will meet for the final time in the regular season on Saturday, Sept. 17 in Puerto Rico. 

Other NASL results from Saturday Night

First place Carolina RailHawks (17-3-4; 54pts) won 2-0 over third-place FC Tampa (9-7-8; 34 pts). 

Fourth-place FC Edmonton (9-6-10; 33 pts) won 3-1 over sixth place NSC Minnesota Stars (7-8-9; 29 pts).

Fifth-place Fort Lauderdale Strikers (7-10-7; 31pts) won 1-0 over seventh place Montreal Impact (6-7-11; 25 pts).

Cesar Diaz covers Soccer for LatinoSports.com. He also writes for 5 Points Press & USSoccerPlayers.com; your source for American Soccer news brought to you by members of the U.S. National Team. Easily accessible, you may reach Cesar at cesar@latinosports.com and at Twitter at @CoveringSoccer.